


Klōn Twig

by Gebiurl (fookin_tossah)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, I need to tag about a billion more people but I'm lazy and on my phone, M/M, Weird sciency stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:57:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9340904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fookin_tossah/pseuds/Gebiurl
Summary: "Here at Avalon Industries, we believe in the future. Our researchers work very hard and personally with the science being conducted here, working tediously long hours to ensure our future is as bright and as perfect as it can be. Avalon understands that sacrifices must be made so that perfect future we all want, happens."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Literally writing this on a whim. I should be writing for my other fic buuuuuuut whatevs.  
> This was written on my phone so excuse if it looks sucky.  
> Anyways enjoy haha

"Really, Gwen. I'm done with it all," Merlin laughed into the phone, grinning wider.

"Done with magic tricks? Conning people out of money, you mean?" She laughs back.

"Yeah. I'm back. Officially. No parlor tricks. I'm coming back and getting my monkey," he says and sighs a bit, closing his eyes as he leans his head against the glass window.

"Mmmm. Bit of a problem, love. Gaius."

He groans and knocks his head a couple of times into the glass. "I forgot. Ugh. Is he still mad?"

"Mad? He's livid. He still sees red when I even bring you up. Speaking of though. Is --"

"No. No. Robert isn't with me and he'll never come back around," Merlin sighs softly. "It was a mistake. A big one. But it's over with," he says and gets out of the train.

"Listen. It's--excuse me," he says and looks up into the person who bumped into him.

Merlin stops speaking as he looks up into familiar eyes, staring into the face of a man that looks identical to his.

"Merlin? Merlin??" Gwen repeats a few times as he hangs up.

The man snorts and smiles watery at him. Merlins too stunned to do anything. Doesn't even have time to react as the man keeps walking and right onto the tracks.

"Wait. Wait no!" Merlin screams and he feels his magic lick at his fingertips and the train runs right into the man and Merlin freezes everything a second too late, phone dropping into the ground as he watches in horror. "Oh god. Oh god," he mumbles to himself.

Time snaps back in and continues. He looks down at his shattered phone and looks off to the side. The man left his coat and Merlin looks back to find the surveillance recording. Shit.

His magic stirs again and he scolds it inwardly as it tugs and tugs until he's walking backwards as people walk forwards and crowd towards the bloody scene. He grabs the mans jacket and keeps walking.

What am I doing? What am I doing? Oh god. I just witnessed a murder and let my magic out. And it's filmed. And I stole a dead mans jacket. Blimey. What am I doing? He questions himself.

He puts it on causally, going with his gut, and grabs the contents from his wallet, including his phone and the wallet to open it up.

"Myrdin," Merlin says out loud, flipping through the cards in the wallet and finding different things. Like a badge.  
A police badge.

Oh fuck.

He grabs the mans phone and He dials the familiar number and he hears screaming already greeting him on the other line.

"Merlin, what in the hells name is going on?" Gwen screeches. "One minute you're blabbering about---

"I'm on my way to yours. We've got a slight bit of a problem."

"Oh what have you gotten yourself into already? Really? You've been back not even five minutes and I'm being dragged back into--

"Parlor tricks," he finishes. "With video evidence." And a lot more shit

.....

Gwen slides her massive metal door open, groaning at the effort and seeing his face. "You're here five minutes and already causing trouble," she accuses. "Now tell me again what happened."

"I just stepped off the platform and then suddenly there's this--

"Twin."

"Yeah, who was identical to me that just, he just walked in front of the bloody train."

"And then your powers slipped and you..what. Froze time? If you froze time wouldn't it have frozen the camera?"

"No because it's not being run there. I think there was a magic detector too. All those new age cameras have them," Merlin sighs, burying his face in his hands as he sits on the couch. "I just wanted to come see my monkey."

"I know, Mer. I know," Gwen sighs and sits down.

"I made a big mess out of things and I came back to fix it, ya know? I wanted to make things right," he whispers.

"We've got to get those tapes."

"Don't you have a friend in the police force?"

"Well..client. He gets his suits tailored by me. Really nice bloke," she says. "I can't bring him into this though."

"No. No. You're right. I just--

"You never said why you nicked his jacket though."

"Honestly, I don't know either. My gut told me to. Like my magic wouldn't let me leave without it," he says.

"Have you looked through his stuff?"

"Seemed like a normal lad. Nice coat too."

"Yeah. Real nice. Too nice to be down in this shithole area," she says and grabs it, inspecting it. "Very nice. Bought in some fancy--what's this?" She asks as he pulls something out from one of the inner pockets. "Another wallet?"

"Lemme see."

And Merlin stands up and looms over Gwens shoulder as she opens it and merlins heart stops. "He's a cop," he breathes out.

...............

Arthur has absolutely no time for anyone's shit today. None. And the last person he expected it from was Myrdin. Sure the guy had a bit of a drinking problem, but he was always on time and always professional and business as usual. So the fact that his partner isn't here yet when the body of a mobster is lying in the morgue is beyond him.

He pulls out his phone again, ringing him once more. "Myr, get your arse down here. We don't have time for this," he hisses into the phone quietly. "Captains going to have your head if you're not down here soon. And when you get down here we, uh," Arthur sighs,  
Running at his brow bone in frustration, "need to talk. Call me back or just show the fuck up. Now."

He puts his phone away when his superior walks in. "Where's Myrdin?"

"He's a little indisposed, sir. He'll be here," Arthur assured him and puts on gloves so he can see the body himself. He'll get the run down of what's happened and then brief Myrdin when he gets there.

And then he can talk to him about the drinking. And the pills.

...................

"God I need a drink," Merlin says as he chugs down his first one.

"I need about eight. He's a cop. You stole his stuff," she accuses.

"I didn't know he was a bloody cop. He just--what if he was my brother? I just witnessed my long lost twin brother fucking jump in front of a train," he says and shakes his head.

"Look. Merlin. I know this is hard and I know you've always wanted to know where you come from and stuff, but he probably didn't have answers either. It was probably a coincidence you two looked so much alike, love," Gwen says softly, grabbing her foster brothers hands. "You need to think of Morgana."

"I know."

"You need to get those tapes back or erased or something. But you need to do that fast."

Merlin nods again. "He smiled at me," he says quietly. "Right before he--you know. He smiled at me."

"I'm so sorry," she says and grabs him, wrapping him up in her arms. "We'll figure this out. Maybe he did some digging of his own. He's got the money. Maybe he found something about your birth parents."

"How would I even know? How can I ask him?"

"Well...actions speak louder than words," she says and holds up keys. "I'm sure his apartment would have something."

"No. I can't break in--

"It's not breaking in if it's yours."

"What?"

"You look just like him, mate. And you need a way to get those tapes. Just get a haircut, wash behind your ears, button up a few more buttons and you'll blend right in," she says. "It's for Morgana. She can't keep growing up without her father. She's already lost one parent, she can't lose two."

Merlin groans even louder now and stands up, grabbing the jacket and shoving his arms through it. "Well come on. Let's go bloody exploring," he huffs and Gwen follows behind him easily.  
...........

"Look at this. His book shelf is carl Marx and weird sociology crap and his table is Freud but his bedside table is some crap on evolution and stem cells," Gwen shouts from the bedroom.

"Yeah, so?"

"So? It means he was looking into something," she says. "He enjoys sociology and psychology, studying the mind and the masses, he's got dozens of books on them and well kept. But this one? This is new and he's circles stuff all inside of it," Gwen grabs the book and walks out to show Merlin.

"Maybe he was sick. Or knew someone sick or something. Stem cells cure things don't they?"

"Well. Yeah. But it's like from babies and stuff," she says. "Oh. Oh god, did he have kids?"

"No. No pictures and if he was divorced he would have something at least from them. This place is like a museum," he says as he goes through the mail. "And there's only one toothbrush in the bathroom. No extra space for someone else to put their clothes. All shoes are his size. So his single."

"Looked like he had a stick up his arse."

"Gwen. He's dead."

"Right. Sorry," she says and hands over the book. "I wonder if he was a scientist for the police."

"I don't think they have those. Police scientists? Sounds like a bad combo."

"How about magical scammer?"

"Now that sounds like fun," Merlin jokes back and snorts. "But he does have a fine collection of alcohol," he says and puts down the book and moves to the gorgeous kitchen, grabbing one of the older whiskey bottles and serving our two drinks. "Cheers."

They gulp it down when the door gets banged on and Merlin drops some of the drink down his shirt. "Don't answer it. They'll go away."

"Myrdin I know you're here, I can see your bloody car. Now open the door before I break it down!"

"Oh shit. Oh shit. Hide," he says and shoves Gwen into the bathroom.

Merlin runs towards the door, adjusting his hair a bit and running his hands over his face to clear it up a bit before opening it a crack. "Yeah?"

"Don't yeah me," the guy sneers and pushes the door open so that Merlin stumbles and he can walk inside.

The man moves with a purpose, going towards the kitchen. "Myrdin is this why you wouldn't answer your calls?" He asks in disbelief. "You promised."

"I--I'm sorry. I--

"I covered for you at the station. Kept promising the captain you'd show up but of course, the one time I need you to be there for me you're--you're here getting shit faced!" He screams.

"I'm..im sorry."

"No. I'm tired of apologies. You have a problem: admit it."

"I have a problem."

The man blinks a few times at the quick admission. "I-well, uh," he stumbles and grabs the bottle, moving to the sink to pour it out.

What a shame. It was good whiskey, if Merlin does say so himself.

"Oh come on, uh," Merlin struggles to see a hint of his name somewhere," man. Dude. Mate, uh, you don't have to pour it all out."

"I can't trust you alone with these and I'm not going to be your bloody babysitter. This is a good alternative." And he grabs all of the bottles and pours them out.

"All of them?"

"Yes Myrdin, all of them," he snaps and walks to merlin, crowding against him. He looks deep into merlins eyes and Merlin visibly swallows. "And the pills."

"What pills?"

"Don't play coy," he says and shakes his head,  
Moving towards the bathroom.

"Wait! Wait! I won't do pills anymore!" Merlin agrees, running after him and grabbing his arm. His very muscular arm.

"No. You won't. Not ever again. I'll make sure of it," the man says firmly and keeps walking, ignoring merlins pleas as he opens the door and Merlin braces for a scream.

But there's none. Just the sound of a cabinet being open and pills shaking about. He peeks into the bathroom and finds no trace of Gwen. Is she bloody magic too??

The man sighs and braces against the sink, shaking his head. "You know can call me whenever, myr. Talk to me. We're partners. You can trust me."

"I--I like doing things on my own sometimes."

"Oh, trust me. I know," he says and stands up straight again. "We have a body. Vic's, to be exact. Taylor betrayed him. That fucker. Our one lead is dead but I think--I have a gut feeling this is a good thing," he says. "I'll need your magic eyes on the scene tomorrow morning. See you at the office," he says and nods, moving out of merlins way and seeing himself out.

"Was he hot? I saw his bum and it was nice but I couldn't see his face," Gwen says from behind the shower curtain.

"Gwen!"

"Well honestly. It was right there in my line of sight," she says and stands up from the shower. "Who was he?"

"I'm assuming Myrdin's partner in the force," Merlin says and looks around, glancing at the trash can with the empty pill bottles. He must've flushed that actual pills down the toilet or let them fall in the sink. "Blimey. Myrdin had a lot of issues."

"Must've been a really sad bloke," she says and moves to stand next to Merlin. "Maybe the job was getting to him. Maybe he was lonely."

"Maybe....maybe--I've always had that too. Like something was missing in my life and maybe that's why he smiled at me. Cause for that second he had found a piece of him missing," Merlin whispers, holding one of the empty pill bottles in his hand. "I should've stopped it. I should've said something. Maybe he had answers or maybe I could've helped h--

"No. Merlin. Don't blame yourself. You didn't even know him, Darling. You still don't."

He nods and sighs. "I'm gonna stay here the night. I need to go in tomorrow," he says. "I need to get to those tapes and I can get them through the force, hopefully. This is my chance to erase it and start new with morgana. She's waiting for me."

"Yeah, she is."

"I'll see her soon. Just-just lay low and lie for me, yeah? You never saw me."

"Is that what I'm telling Gaius?"

"For now. Until I get things settled. I'm not bringing morgana into my shit again. She deserves better," Merlin says with finality. "I'll see you tomorrow, love."

"Bye, love," Gwen replies and kisses his cheek before she sees herself out and Merlin is left alone in the beautiful house.

He's never been in something so beautiful. Not without someone waiting for him in the other room with deep pockets and empty promises of a better future. It makes his heart hurt and his stomach coil. He walks through the rooms slowly, making it to the bedroom and finding a laptop.

He settles on the bed and opens it up, looking at the lock screen that requests a key. He needs the key.

'Myrdin123'

Incorrect key.

He sighs. He's got no clue what it could fucking be. He sets it down and stands up to look through the movies, some home videos. He grabs a couple and puts them into the player and just watches.

He watches his alleged brother with too big of ears and a big smile when he's young and with adoptive parents, Merlin assumes since they don't look like him. But he was happy. So happy.

He was happy up until recently, Merlin notices. Suddenly the home videos become dark. Suddenly myrdin isn't talking to the camera and explaining everything, isn't talking to his parents. He records odd things. Simple things and doesn't talk. It's unsettling.

Then he finds one where myrdin is crying and Merlin aches for him, aches to make him feel better. It's in his nature, to care for others.

"I don't--I don't know what I'm doing," myrdin cries, drinking the whiskey straight from the bottle and holding a gun in his hand. "I shot--I had to. I had to kill him. But I couldn't--oh god," he cries, hiding his face in his arms. "I'm so tired of all of this. I want to get out. I want to run away." Myrdin looks off into the distance and sniffles, wiping under his nose. "I don't deserve this. I didn't deserve this, I was a good fucking officer. I was a good--a good son," he breaks. "Arthur, I--'

The video cuts out and Merlin searches for a part two but that's the last one he filmed. A week before Merlin stumbled into him. Gwen was right. There was nothing Merlin could've done. Nothing.

Except for save himself so he can be with morgana again.

..............

Merlin wakes up and finds himself blinking up at the soft sunlight pouring through the window. He feels well rested and nice in a big cozy bed. No screaming or drugs. It's just--nice.

And then it's ruined by his phone ringing and ringing and Merlin groans and moves to pick it up. Arthur?

"Hello?"

"I said be here today! I meant on time not whenever you fucking fancied."

Oh. His name is Arthur, cute butt. "Oh. Shit. Arthur. I'm sorry, my alarm didn't go off--

"Save it. Just be here, asshole."

"I will. Just--cover for me...?" Merlin says hesitantly.

"Last time, myrdin."

"Promise."

Merlin hangs up and quickly grabs new clothes, something nicer than what he's been wearing. Gaius would be proud. He'd see what a nice presentable man he's become...stealing his possible biological dead brothers identity. What an honest man he is.

Merlin heads out, grabbing the car keys and clicking it a few times and he finds his car out front. A nice car, one that he would've dreamed of and now it's his. Well. It's myrdins. Temporarily his.

He gets in and stops for a second, grabbing his phone and googling the detectives station. Is there one? Or are the police stations the same? Bloody hell. This is going to be one hell of a day.

 

 


End file.
